Bay Tree dying leaves brown

Posts

• lukebennettgbdf9-6AaB Posts: 18

  May 2023 edited May 2023

  For some reason the website won't let me upload images, but I have attached some here in a dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/t/qa9QXLAjgl7gVDox.
  
  I have included a full view of the bay tree as well as close up shots of the leaves.

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• Simone_in_Wiltshire Posts: 1,073

  May 2023

  @lukebennettgbdf9-6AaB There are many entries this year where people reported the same. Some say it was the cold winter. On the other side, others were not affected at all. 

  I would take them out remove the soil and start from scratch. 

  I ♥ my garden.

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• lukebennettgbdf9-6AaB Posts: 18

  May 2023

  Thank you @Simone_in_Wiltshire for the reply.
  
  I don't have a lot of gardening knowledge so apologies if the questions are basic, just trying to figure out the reason why.
  
  So do you think from the look of the images the Bay Trees will completely die and not come back again? That they are still suffering from winter frost damage? They seem to have little flowers growing on them, and some new growth, but I don't know if this is just a last attempt to stay alive?
  
  Thank you, Luke

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• lukebennettgbdf9-6AaB Posts: 18

  May 2023

  And what could I do in the future to prevent it from happening again?

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• Desi_in_London Posts: 731

  May 2023

  Suggest you try reducing the size of the images (and possibly uploading as separate messages - i assume as you are au fait with dropbox you already know teh icon to upload is the fifth from the right on the menu bar above the text entry box) - there are size restrictions on the website and plenty of folk who might be able to help may not be comfortable clicking on an external link from a new-ish poster. I don't mean to cause offence , so please take this in the helpful spirit it is intended.

  Kindness is always the right choice.

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• lukebennettgbdf9-6AaB Posts: 18

  May 2023

  Hi @Desi_in_London, Thank you very much for the information, I completely understand, I would also not want to click off the page, as it takes longer.
  
  I have tried reducing the size of the images, but unfortunately they still aren't uploading, do you happen to know the upload size? 
  
  I'll see if I can upload from a different device and see if that works as well.
  
  Thanks
  

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• Desi_in_London Posts: 731

  May 2023

  small -- 1mb ( although  - sporadically  - larger  up to about 5 mb does load , but sometimes rotates).  you may well be at too high a quality of image -- i've never had an issue unless i try load more than 4 or 5  images in a single message, but I just use a phone to photograph and reduce the resolution to transmit. 

  Kindness is always the right choice.

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• lukebennettgbdf9-6AaB Posts: 18

  May 2023

  Hi @Desi_in_London,
  
  I managed to do it by reducing the file size to 400kb each with good results, I used https://www.freeconvert.com/compress-jpeg/download for anyone's future reference, if you click on the cog next to the image, you can tell it to reduce to a specific file size.
  
  Here are the images
  
  

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• Desi_in_London Posts: 731

  May 2023

  Thank you for that.
  
  I'm not an expert , but looks to me like one of your bays ( maybe both) is growing as a twisted/ plaited trunk? ( is that right?). Those generally are less robust than those left to grow "naturally".  I have a mature multi stemmed bay ( large shrub/ small tree size) which dropped a lot of leaves last summer but is basically fine now. 
  
   Looks to me like drought stress from last summer ( I'm assuming you are uk based) which when followed by teh freeze/thaw of the winter just gone has then left them somewhat susceptible to fungal infection ( possibly the black staining in your last photo) . It's not clear to me what medium they are growing in - are they in open ground with the gravel as a decorative cover? or is that "solid" ground with some holes made for the planting? ( in which case they might be running out of room ) .
  
  I can also see some kind of tie on the plaited trunk -- that looks quite tight and is probably either redundant by now and should be removed or as a minimum removed and something with a lot more give ( stretchy ties are available or something like stretchy bandages/ tights type material) be re-wound around it to give it room to breathe. <note i have no experience of these plaited types, so going by intuition here>
  
  To be honest I've seen worse specimens around in London ,  whereabouts ( ballpark) are you. Hopefully someone can give more detailed help than me, but I think stay on top of watering , cut out the totally dead brown leaves if you like ( which should help with air flow ) but just be patient  and they should hopefully recover.

  Kindness is always the right choice.

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• lukebennettgbdf9-6AaB Posts: 18

  May 2023

  Firstly, thank you very much for taking the time to write the detailed explanation and to help me with the images @Desi_in_London. It's greatly appreciated.
  
  You are correct, they are both plaited, they were like this when we bought the house about 2 years ago now, that makes sense thank you. Good to know yours recovered, although I suppose as you say, yours has been left to grow naturally, so mine could perhaps turn out differently.
  
  It is open ground with the gravel as decorative cover.
  
  The tie has got jammed, which I have tried to remove before, but it is wedged in between two of the trunks now, so pretty impossible to get out, the ties are the stretchy rubber type luckily, but yeah, they are now redundant, as the stems have fused together now anyway.
  
  I am South Derbyshire. I hadn't been watering it because it is in the ground and I assumed it would be okay as they are a few years old now, but recently starting watering it, in a hope that might be the issue and it would recover, but it is early days.
  
  I'll try cutting out the dead brown leaves as you say, as that sounds like a sensible thing to do. I'm hoping I don't have to get rid of them as they looked really nice when they were going well, and are a few years old now.

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